In most urban areas pet waste fouling the sidewalks and streets has long been regarded as an offensive nuisance. In spite of the fact that many cities have anti-litter laws which require the owners to clean up after their pet, such laws are typically ignored.
The main reason that these laws are ignored or only half-heartedly enforced is that the picking up of the pet waste is, in itself, normally, a very unpleasant task. Thus, even the authorities, who are responsible for enforcement of the anti-litter laws, recognize that they are asking a great deal of the pet owners in requiring them to clean up after their animals.
There are now several methods proposed for cleaning up after pets. One relies on the simple use of an impermeable bag, normally of polyethylene or the like, that the owner places over his or her hand so as to be able to pick up the waste in question, then turns the bag inside out to enclose the waste and then dispose of the waste into an appropriate container. This method has the particular disadvantage that, although the pet waste will not soak through the bag and physically contact the owners hand, the waste can still be plainly felt through the bag. Most persons feel that this tactile sensation makes this procedure simply too disgusting to use.
Another procedure is to use a scooper-shovel, which is basically a special-duty tong-shovel combination (U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,079) used to scoop the pet waste. This method has the disadvantage that the naked waste must then be dropped into the litter basket or disposal container, merely moving the offensive material from one location to another and thereby making emptying of the litter container a task which is more offensive than it would normally be. Furthermore, the scooper itself then must be painstakingly cleaned after each use or the user must carry home the fouled scooper.
Disposable shovels and pushers of cardboard have also been proposed. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,015) These also require two hands to operate.
I am the co-inventor of U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,970. This invention, is an improvement thereon.
All previous schemes require the use of both hands for optimum operation. Consequently no hand is free for control of the leashed pet.